Sinners Never Sleep
by A Dead End
Summary: Sitting there in a dark and empty room was an eerie reminder of a childhood he wasn't too fond to relive. But captivity hadn't broken him then, it wouldn't now, that much he promised himself.


**Disclaimer: Just own the story, not the people in it.**

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><p><strong><em>Federation Anti-Government Detention Facility<em>**

The room was darker than midnight, lonely in its hollow emptiness. He'd lost count of the days, the weeks, the months. At first the lack of food had tormented his body, but slowly it had succumbed to an empty apathetic feeling. The bonds hugged his body tightly to the seat he was condemned to sit in for eternity. Every last glimpse of happiness he had once had, had slowly begun to fade.

In the beginning, he had screamed, cursed, struggled against everything that held him down. His captors were at loss at the man's determination and strength. The ex super soldier wasn't ready to give into them. He had a purpose to fight for, something bigger than himself. Celestial Being, or whatever was left of it. For all he knew, he was the only one that had made it out alive, and couldn't be counted lucky for it. But given the choice, he would have given it all up to be with her. Marie. Without her he would have just been another test subject, terminated as a failed attempt under a set of letters and numbers. And for that he wouldn't give up now. It drove him like madness, possessing his body to retaliate to the last of his strength.

He'd managed to escape once or twice, maybe even three times, he couldn't remember anymore. Everything had reduced to an enigmatic blur.

…

Attempt 1

Allelujah waited for the security cameras to be turned off in his cell. He knew it meant another 'interrogation', meaningless brutality where frustrated guards released their anger on him. But he wouldn't break; they would get nothing from him.

Unfastening his bonds, Allelujah slumped to the ground as two guards hovered over him, ready to beat him senseless. They cracked jokes about him, unforgiving sick humor meant to bend and waver his conviction. But Allelujah wasn't ready to go down without a fight. He leapt up, punching the first guard in the chest, hearing a crack as several of his ribs snapped under the pressure. The other was ready to call for assistance, only to have his head beat against the cement wall with such force that it bled from the inside out.

Opening the blast door with the second guard's key-card, he was free for the first time since his stay there. Scrambling through corridors, he had no idea which way to turn. It was an endless maze of cells, like any prison complex should be. Like an eerie reminder of his childhood, something he would much rather not bring up.

Avoiding the guards patrolling the area wasn't as difficult as Allelujah had initially thought. So far, he hadn't come across too many, and he was in better shape than he had anticipated. Finally making it to the outer courtyard, he realized this would be the tough part. He ran. He ran as fast as he could, hoping everyone was looking the other way at that very moment to give him a chance. If he made it to the gate, he could wait for someone to come in and slip out, but first he had to make it there on hope. Three quarters of the way, there was a gunshot. It ran straight through his right side and he collapsed.

Gritting his teeth, he wasn't going to give up. He was almost there. Allelujah pulled himself to his feet, pushing off his knees and carried on running. Another shot skimmed his shoulder and the other went through his left leg. Falling again, he could hear guards approaching his position. There would be no point in running, it was too late, but he stumbled on. After only ten footsteps he was down again, body refusing to co-operate. He was losing blood. Where was Hallelujah when you needed him? That's when it really hit him; he was alone, truly alone. There was no more Hallelujah, there never would be. It left him feeling hollow. Until now he had never realized how much his demonic counterpart had meant to him, how much it was a part of him he now missed. Too weak and weary to move, he closed his eyes and waited for the guard to take him back to his cell and tie him up again. If Hallelujah had been there, he would have made it; he would have done what was necessary no matter what. A large fist came in contact with his cheekbone with a quiet pop, and he lost consciousness.

That was the closest he'd get to escape.

…

Attempt 2

Guards were doubled inside the complex, security tightened. That day it had even been tripled as a new cell had been prepared for Allelujah and he was due to be moved into it. It was an opportunity he couldn't miss, one slip up from them and he could make a run for it. But they had other things in mind. Before he was taken from his cell, he was beat up to a condition the guard considered severe enough that he wouldn't be able to attempt anything. A dislocated shoulder, fractured ribs, bruised torso, broken nose and a gunshot to the leg so he couldn't get far fast even if he tried. And he did.

The moment his door opened and they cleared the first guards, he sprinted off in the opposite direction. He was almost at the stairs, when in front of him was a barricade of four armed men. Allelujah rammed through them, limping his way down the first steps, numb to his pain. He would make it; he would do it for Marie. One of the guards had managed to grab hold of him and they both went flying down. He remembered nothing more of that day.

End of attempt.

…

After everything Allelujah had tried, he was now not only restrained by his bonds but by a straight jacket. The assumption was that he would calm down. His reaction was quite the opposite. And still, he had yet to give up any useful information.

Struggling in his restraints, the man slammed himself against the seat he was held in again and again. The bonds had been tightened several times that day, but each time he managed to get them looser. It was a small triumph that gave him reassurance that this wouldn't be forever.

They then began regulating his food more, giving him less to eat and drink. Hoping to starve him to the point where his body was just barely surviving. His mouth was then covered with a metal gag that obscured his breathing, and sedatives were poured into his system in dangerously high quantities. It only took a day to dilute the prisoner to a tamer state.

…

Attempt 3

Maybe it wasn't even an attempt; he only remembered lying on the ground outside his cell. Whether he'd got out there by himself or not, he couldn't recall.

…

How long can you hold onto hope before it starts to die? With a mutilated body, bruised, scarred and alone, was there anything left? Allelujah had no sign of his friends for so long that their images had faded out his mind. But Marie, he would never forget Marie. Even a faded memory was enough, they couldn't take it away from him. It was his.

Eyes blinking lazily in the darkness, he couldn't remember how to dream. All that was left were the grey walls around him. The world had shrunk to a size you could fit in your pocket, and it was empty.

Imagine not being able to move, to speak, to do anything but stare at the blank space around you for the rest of your life.

"Tell us," voices hissed at him daily, plagued him and when he didn't answer they would beat him. His once soft and caring eyes had lost their light, now dark and unfocused. His thoughts of a bright future of meaning burned in ashes, in hate, and the want for retribution. Even those feelings finally dulled until there was nothing left.

The last thing he could do was welcome madness; let it take over his mind before he cracked into giving up what they wanted. Before they took her.

…

Happiness is out of reach, love is unheard of, hope is failing and life is meaningless. The fate of a test subject is to become a tragedy. They are born and they die in captivity, nothing more, nothing less. He understood that now.


End file.
